Written by Florence Neau of Athena Jewellery
Topaz and Citrine
This month I thought it would be best to talk about Topaz and Citrine at the same time because they are often confused. It seems that before Gemology became an official science in the early 20th Century, most brown, orange and yellow stones were called Topaz. With gemology, the distinction between Topaz and Citrine was made. Citrine is actually a variety of quartz. Topaz represents a variety of its own amongst gemstones and is much harder and heavier than citrine. It is also more expensive but unfortunately it can be difficult to distinguish to the naked eye. Therefore it is quite important to be careful when buying yellow topaz in particular as sometimes citrine is sold as Brazilian Topaz or Gold Topaz. Whilst Citrine is lovely, I am sure you would prefer to know exactly what you are buying and pay a fair price.
The most valuable
coloured Topaz are red and pink as they are extremely scarce. Next in
line but significally lower in price are Orange and yellow topaz,
known as Imperial Topaz. However not everybody seems to agree on
which colours should be called Imperial so you may find contradicting
information.
Next in line is Blue
Topaz , whose various shades are known as London Blue, Sky Blue and
Swiss Blue. These usually results from different treatments by heat
and radiation of the most commonly found colourless version of this
gemstone. Finally topaz is also found in brown and green, the latter
being rare.
Citrine comes from the
latin word ‘’Citrus’’ and is also close to the French word
‘’Citron’’, which translates as lemon. Natural Citrine is
rare and it is usually the result of heat treatment from smoky quartz
and lower quality amethyst (which we will talk about next February!).
Is is found in various places all over the world but the main
supplier is Brazil.
Citrine is believed to
relieve negative feelings such as depression and anger. It is
beneficial for digestion and can be helpful with thyroid, heart,
kidney and liver disorders. It is also said to help overcoming
physical addictions, fears and phobias. Like most gemstones there are
various meanings and interpretations of the physical and metaphysical
benefits of the Citrine but the general idea is that it repels
negative energy.
I read many times that
in ancient Greece, Topaz was believed to bring strength to the wearer
and bless him/her with invisibility during desperate times. It is
said to facilitate communication and self-expression and is therefore
beneficial to artists and writers. As for health benefits the list is
endless and each colour seem to have its own benefits. Blue is good
for the throat, golden is good for mental clarity etc…
Finally, if you are
looking for wedding anniversary presents, Citrine works for a 13th
wedding anniversary, Imperial Topaz is for a 23rd
anniversary, and blue Topaz is for a 4th anniversary.
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| Citrine Tree of Life by Athena Jewellery |
Next Month: Tanzanite,
Turquoise and Zircon
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